The Man Who Came to Dinner (1941), You Were Never Lovelier (1942), I Wake Up Screaming (1941), Road to Utopia (1945), Cabin in the Sky (1943), Bad Santa (2003), Ride, Tenderfoot, Ride (1940), Son of Paleface (1952) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best Schemer movies.
Storyline: New York working girl Susan Applegate is desperate to go home to Iowa but does not have the railway fare so she disguises herself as a child to ride half fare. Enroute she meets Philip Kirby, an Army major teaching at a military school.—Jack McKillop <jem3@donuts0.bellcore.com>
Plot Keywords: military school, older woman younger man relationship, army officer, railway station, hostility, anger, intimidation ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: The Acunas, a rich Argentine family, have the tradition that the daughters have to get married in order, oldest first. When sister #1 gets married, sisters #3 and #4 put pressure on Maria, sister #2, because they have their husbands picked out already. But Maria hasn't yet met a man she likes. Eduardo Acuna, believing that men aren't romantic enough these days, sends his daughter flowers and anonymous love letters, creating a "mystery man" for her to fall in love with. He intends to pick out an appropriate beau for her later, to fill the role. But Robert Davis, an American dancer looking for work, stumbles into the picture. Maria falls for him, but the father does not approve.—John Oswalt <jao@jao.com>
Plot Keywords: actor shares first name with character, actress name in tagline, actor's name in tagline, actress billed above the title, actor billed above the title, actor shares last name with character, actor shares first and last name with character ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Promoter Frankie Christopher, being grilled by police in the murder of model Vicky Lynn, recalls in flashback: First meeting her as a waitress, Frankie decides to parlay her beauty into social acceptance and a lucrative career. He succeeds only too well: she's on the eve of deserting him for Hollywood...when someone kills her. Now Frankie gets the feeling that Inspector Ed Cornell is determined to pin the killing on him and only him. He's right. And the only one he can turn to for help is Jill, the victim's sister, who's been cool toward him...—Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
Plot Keywords: waitress, based on novel, investigation, murder suspect, sister sister relationship, murder, frame up ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: At the turn of the century, Duke and Chester, two vaudeville performers, go to Alaska to make their fortune. On the ship to Skagway, they find a map to a secret gold mine, which had been stolen by McGurk and Sperry, a couple of thugs. They disguise themselves as McGurk and Sperry to get off the ship. Meanwhile, Sal Van Hoyden is in Alaska to try and recover the map; it had been her father's. She falls in with Ace Larson, who wants to steal the gold mine for himself. Duke and Chester, McGurk and Sperry, Ace and his henchmen, and Sal, chase each other all over the countryside, trying to get the map.—John Oswalt <jao@jao.com>
Plot Keywords: road movie, breaking the fourth wall, mistaken identity, vaudeville, alaska, map, rug ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Chronic gambler and carouser "Little" Joe Jackson is shot by Domino Johnson at Jim Henry's gambling club over an outstanding gambling debt. Little Joe's wife, the God-fearing Petunia Jackson, prays not only for her husband's mortal life, but also his eternal soul as she's afraid that if he dies now, he, despite not being an evil man, won't make it into heaven. As Little Joe is close to death, he is visited by agents of both the Lord and of Lucifer. They make a deal with him: they will give him six months to atone for the errors of his human life. Once back on Earth, he won't remember the deal but both the Lord and Lucifer will be watching over him, trying to get him to see things their way. As both sides try to get Little Joe's soul, they figure that some of the most powerful tools they have at their disposal are the women in Little Joe's life: Petunia on behalf of the Lord, and Georgia Brown, a gold-digging floozy, on behalf of Lucifer. As hard as both the Lord and Lucifer try to get Little Joe on their side, they don't factor into the equation human judgment, which turns some of their work against them.—Huggo
Plot Keywords: slit skirt, hell, shooting, prayer, church, singer, gambling debt ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Willie T. Stokes is a convicted con man who's led a miserable life. He drinks heavily and constantly embarrasses himself publicly. He only works once a year dressed as Santa. But then come Christmas Eve, he and his pint-sized helper dwarf Marcus stage elaborate robberies and take their department stores for everything they got. This time around, Willie gets distracted by large women, a bartender who is attracted to Santas, and a kid who's convinced he's the real deal. However, Marcus must once again put up with Willie's heavy drinking and a series of incidents that constantly shoot themselves in the foot. Will Willie and Marcus make it to next Christmas? Or will this be the year the dynamic duo finally face justice?
Plot Keywords: christmas, christmas eve, female nudity, hot tub, underwear, girl, reference to santa claus ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Overly shy cowboy Gene inherits a meat-packing plant, then faces stiff competition from snooty Ann Randolph, rival owner determined to do him in.—Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu>
Plot Keywords: actor shares first name with character, gunfire, inheritance, jail, lawyer, rancher, sabotage ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Junior Potter returns to claim his father's gold, which is nowhere to be found. "Mike" is the luscious head of a gang of thieves, and Roy Barton is the federal marshal hot on her trail.
Plot Keywords: actor shares first name with character, farce, singing cowboy, singing, singer, song, despair ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: After her father dies Pat Riley (Merna Kennedy), returns home from an eastern board school and takes charge of the family horse ranch. She immediately has a spat with the ranch foreman Ken Benson (Ken Maynard). He is trying to convince her that the smooth-talking Steve Frazier (Niles Welch) has an hidden agenda for wanting to buy the ranch's ramada of broken wild horses. Turns out he does...he represents a company that makes dog food.—Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>
Plot Keywords: character name in title, horse billed above the title, actor billed above the title, bushwhacker, grindhouse film, pre code film, treachery ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: 1989. The Berlin Wall is about to fall, and the world is about to be made safe for the new world order. But outside of Stuttgart, West Germany, at Theodore Roosevelt Army Base, Specialist Ray Elwood of the 317th Supply Battalion is about to find his own cold war turn white hot. Elwood's a lovable rogue, a conscript who's managed to turn his military servitude into a blossoming network of black market deals, more out of boredom than ambition. Officially, there's his day job as battalion secretary to the inept but caring Commander Wallace Berman. On the side, there's everything from selling the locals stolen Mop'N'Glo to cooking heroin for the base's ruthless head of Military Police, Sgt. Saad. When a new top sergeant arrives, with the avowed intention of cleaning the base up, Elwood thinks the new blood is nothing he can't handle, especially after he lays eyes on the top's daughter, rebellious Robyn. But that was before he figured in the $5 million in stolen arms that just landed on ...
Plot Keywords: woman on top, adulterous wife, extramarital affair, unfaithful wife, satire, violence, shootout ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Cavanaugh and McCauley are after the ranchers land. When the Government announces the land will be put up for auction, the ranchers pool their money only to have it stolen by Cavanaugh's men. They then plan to sell their cattle but Cavanaugh announces a fake gold strike and the cowhands all leave. But Gene's hobo friend the Judge says he will get the cattle to market and he sends out a signal to his hobo friends.—Maurice VanAuken <mvanauken@a1access.net>
Plot Keywords: singing cowboy, horse and carriage, hypnotism, jail, new mexico, resort, robbery ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Smooth-talker Ronnie Mason earns his living by murdering lonely women for their inheritances. On the run, Ronnie poses as a disabled war vet and takes a room at the Fenchurch home. He at first courts elder daughter Hilda, but changes his plans after meeting her younger, prettier--and richer--sister. Hilda discovers Ronnie's scheme, but can she act before her sister becomes his next victim?—Chris Stone <jstone@bellatlantic.net>
Plot Keywords: tuberculosis, 1940s, revenge, tension, stress, retribution, reprisal ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: The workers on the railroad haven't been paid in several months, that's because Whitey and his gang, including fast-shooting, dangerous, but likeable Utica Kid, keep holding up the train for its payroll. Grant McLaine, a former railroad employee who was fired in disgrace, is recruited to take the payroll through undercover. A young boy and a shoebox figure into the plot when Whitey's gang tries to hold up the train, and Grant and the Kid meet again to settle an old score.—A.L.Beneteau <albl@inforamp.net>
Plot Keywords: knocked out, coffee, campfire, coat, shot to death, shot in the chest, two word title ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: A cattle-vs.-sheepman feud loses Connie Dickason her fiance, but gains her his ranch, which she determines to run alone in opposition to Frank Ivey, "boss" of the valley, whom her father Ben wanted her to marry. She hires recovering alcoholic Dave Nash as foreman and a crew of Ivey's enemies. Ivey fights back with violence and destruction, but Dave is determined to counter him legally... a feeling not shared by his associates. Connie's boast that, as a woman, she doesn't need guns proves justified, but plenty of gunplay results.—Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
Plot Keywords: pursuit, cigar smoking, grief, greed, violence, vindication, reprisal ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Jim Slater's father (whom he never knew) died in the Apache ambush at Gila Valley, and Jim is searching for the one survivor, who supposedly went for help but disappeared with a lot of gold. In the process, he gets several people gunning for him, and he keeps meeting liberated woman Karyl Orton, who may be on a similar mission. Renewed Apache hostilities and an impending range war provide complications.—Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
Plot Keywords: based on novel, based on book, revenge, 1870s, arizona, u.s. cavalry, apache indian ...
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